The 2025 Creative Ambassadors represent a range of artistic disciplines and share a deep commitment to San Jose's cultural community. The Office of Cultural Affairs is pleased to announce the selection of the following artists as 2025 Creative Ambassadors:

SJ SHOOTERS

Miguel Ozuna, Associate Director of Photography & Digital Asset Manager, is a storyteller, photographer, father, husband, brother, son, and community member who has a passion for being a modern-day time traveler, freezing time so that it can be re-lived by anyone who chooses. Originally born in East Los Angeles, Miguel moved to San José at the age of 6. Since then, San José has become his biggest canvas. Working with the mediums of digital, film, and drone photography, Miguel has explored the simplicities of life and brought meaning to everyday moments that tend to pass us by. @sj.shooters

A look thru your lens began on September 24, of 2020. A Look Thru Your Lens gives people an opportunity to capture the beauty of San Jose with a Film Camera. Over 4 years, 75 photographers were able to complete the project that provided the photos used in a show that was organized on 9/6/2024. We were able to take 75 Instagram post, 75 episodes, and 75 rolls of film that were captured in SJ and bring it to life with a group photography show that told a beautiful story. The goal of this project will be to give an opportunity and funding, to take what took 4 years to come to life, and have it come to life in 1 year. Allowing us to bring Season 2 of A Look Through Your Lens, to life, with 75 new photographers to go out into SJ and capture the beauty of SJ. 

JULIIE CARDENAS

Julie Cardenas is a painter and comic book artist.  She was born and raised in San Jose, California.  The second eldest in a family of seven, she uses the experiences of being a first generation Mexican-Peruvian American to inform her artistic practice, her storytelling, and her participation as a community member in San Jose.  She has shown her work at the DeYoung Museum, Palo Alto Art Center, and the Children’s Museum.  @comidacomicsycafe

Stories From Our Neighborhood is a series of zine making workshops that will be hosted at San Jose public libraries.  Community members will have the opportunity to use a variety of materials to captivate their stories.  Each workshop will feature a theme such as memory, food or neighborhood.  The culmination of the project will allow participants to have the opportunity to digitize their zines so that the wider San Jose community can read their work. 

More Más Marami

More Más Marami Arts led by Matt Casey  started with the realization that all we need to create theatre is the desire and the community to do so. Formed in 2019, we’re a collective of artists united by our faith in the power of theatre to bring people together. We produce innovative productions, script readings, open mics, educational workshops, and opportunities for and with underserved communities of San Jose and the South Bay Area. @moremasmarami

The Bay Area Story Archive (BASA) bayareastoryarchive.org is a community based, online, audio archive of the stories that make up the South Bay. BASA hopes to 1) Center the residents of San José as storytellers and encourage each of them to share an aspect of their lives and their city, 2) Help to connect others with the spaces and neighborhoods around them. Story collecting will be taking place at festivals, street fairs, and neighborhood gathering spots, with a website and physical installations coming in late 2025. This project is fiscally sponsored by The School of Arts and Culture at MHP.

Steven “nizzotes” Rubalcaba

Steven nizzotes Rubalcaba dismantles nostalgic relics of past technology, transforming them into serene and aesthetically fresh creations. Incorporating geometric wooden pieces, he blends organic elements with obsolete tech, symbolizing life’s cycles—utility to waste to rebirth. Committed to sustainability, Steven uses at least 75% reused materials, giving discarded objects a second life while reducing waste.
 
Rooted in the Bay Area, Steven’s art is influenced by hip-hop, graffiti, and the vibrant streets of San José. His personal struggles, diverse heritage, and passions for music and mathematics drive his creative exploration, honoring the community that shaped him through thoughtful, impactful art. @nizottes

Voices of the Community project brings San José residents together to create a collaborative collage using repurposed materials like used paper, magazines, and personal photos. Participants will contribute individual pieces, personalizing them with colored pens and markers, which will form a beautiful mosaic of a unified artwork.

Partnering with libraries, community, and senior centers, Steven fosters creativity and encourages material reuse. The completed collage, adhered with all-natural wheat paste onto a reused 4x4-foot wooden panel, will reflect the residents’ diverse stories. The project concludes with an unveiling event celebrating collective storytelling and community pride.

Jessica Gutierrez

Jessica Gutierrez (she/they)  is an educator, artist, curator, community connector, and mama. Jess actively engages people in meaningful creative expression and builds bridges across communities through event curation, workshops, and collaborations with other local creatives.

She emphasizes holding space and providing opportunities for BBIPOC artists, LGBTQ+ artists, and any other folks of marginalized identities that are historically under-resourced, underrepresented, and not welcome to be their full selves in institutionalized spaces. @artnflowww

For the Mamas is a series of free community art workshops designed for mamas and their children in San Jose. The project aims to cultivate a space where moms can show up without feeling worried about whether to bring their child. Building accessible shared creative spaces where mamas can connect is necessary for collective wellbeing, joy, and imagination. 

The workshop series will lead to a culminating art showcase that features the artwork of mamas and their children at Local Color’s Noble Gallery.

About the Creative License Ambassadors

The 2025 Creative Ambassadors were selected through a competitive panel review process that considers applicants' artistic track records and histories of community engagement work. Emphasis was also placed on artists that are deeply rooted within San Jose's diverse cultural communities. Practicing artists of all disciplines were invited to apply.

In addition to producing a creative project involving the community, the Ambassadors' scope of work includes promoting creative expression through social media, participating in interviews, and helping to promote and participate in the WeCreate408 campaign (wecreate408.org). WeCreate408 is the Office of Cultural Affairs' month-long creativity challenge, currently scheduled for April 2025. By working with the ambassadors to tailor the messaging around the power of creative expression to their networks, the goal is for San Jose residents to elevate their creativity and celebrate its role in their everyday lives. In doing so, residents will experience the arts as a vital means of connecting to themselves and others.

Support for the 2025 Creative Ambassadors is provided in part by funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.